NARATHIWAT, Oct 30: Muslim men released on Saturday after six days in Thai military detention spoke of being trapped under piles of other detainees when they were transported into custody following a riot earlier this week.
One man in his mid-twenties said he was tied with his hands behind his back and had "five layers" of other detainees above him in a truck.
"It was very hot and I was suffering a lot. I was shocked after I learned that 78 people died," said the man, who did not want to be named.
"Can you imagine being laid down on the floor and there are a lot of people on top of you? You can't even move. You can't even do anything," another man said, weeping. He also did not want to be named but described himself as a businessman.
Another detainee criticized the way authorities dispersed the demonstration and transported the Muslims, who were fasting.
"I am lucky to be able to breathe today. Think about it: I'm a small person and there were four to five people piled on me," said the man in his mid-twenties.
The three men were among more than 1,100 Muslims the military said it freed on Saturday from six different sites after holding them since a clash with demonstrators in Tak Bai, Narathiwat, on Monday.
Another 78 detainees died in trucks on their way to the detention facilities, officials in the majority-Buddhist country said.
During a brief respite in the monsoon rains, 231 smiling detainees left an army base where they had been held in Pattani province. They shook hands with soldiers before boarding four buses that took many of them to Narathiwat for tearful reunions with relatives.
"I was terribly concerned in the past six days. I could not sleep and was worried but now I've seen them again. I feel relieved," an elderly man, Samsudint Yo Tanyong, said after he broke down in uncontrollable grief after seeing his son and three nephews.
He said the men rarely went out but last Monday they had joined others seeking the release of six men accused of passing guns to rebels.
Most detainees leaving the base in Pattani appeared in good health though a few showed black eyes, cuts and bruises. Two could only walk with the help of friends. -AFP
